My mission is to help people feel better and become the best versions of themselves through service, advocacy, research and compassion.

I am a clinical social worker in Texas and an independent mental health provider and researcher. I specialize in men’s mental health, grief and bereavement and the influences of technology on family functioning. My practice is the Texas Insight Center in the Rice Village of Houston, TX.

My Therapy Practice:

Starting therapy can be daunting, especially with how it's often portrayed on TV shows and books. Sharing important parts of your life is a big step, and I take that responsibility seriously. My main goals are to uphold my profession's ethical standards and build client trust. Your privacy and confidentiality are my top priorities, so what we discuss in our sessions stays between us.

My Research:

Parenting can be very difficult, and a lot of emotion is involved when parents feel they are doing something wrong. Most parents have good intentions, but there are aspects of our world that we know little about regarding our children’s development. My research focuses on the influences of parenting that can inform healthier child development, specifically regarding the ubiquitousness of technology in our daily lives.

Currently, my research focuses on factors that influence a parent to prioritize the use of technology during parent-child interactions. There are two terms that best describe this behavior. The first is called “phubbing,” which means phone snubbing. The term refers to the use of smartphones during interpersonal interactions and can cause a number of emotional and communication difficulties.

Another term is technoference, which means the same as phubbing but includes technology in general, such as computers, television, iPads, etc. One area of technoference that I study is the broader business strategies of digital platforms and how they create habitual needs to prioritize our devices over face-to-face conversations.